Monday Morning Quarterback: The Good, The Bad Of Week 9

Matchup

The Good

The Bad

Indianapolis Colts

Houston Texans

Even though Andrew Luck completed less than 50 percent of his passes – 18-of-40 – he led the Colts to a remarkable comeback victory by throwing for 271 yards and three TD passes. While the Texans put tremendous pressure on Luck in the first half, he did not throw an interception.

Case Keenum was excellent as he completed 20-of-34 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns. However, when the Texans needed to sustain drives in the second half, they were not able to do it. There were many outside circumstances, including the collapse of head coach Gary Kubiak, but the Texans lost once again.

Tom Brady has struggled most of the season, but he had his best game of the year against the old and slow Steelers secondary. He completed 23-of-33 passes for 432 yards with four TDs and he did not have an interception. Ben Roethlisberger was nearly as good for the Steelers, throwing for 400 yards and four touchdowns.

While there was little to complain about with Roethlisberger, a couple of his throws got away from him and resulted in interceptions.

Jason Campbell had his second straight solid performance as he led the Browns to a surprising win over the defending Super Bowl champions. Campbell was sharp as he completed 23-of-35 passes for 262 yards with three TDs and he did not throw an interception.

Joe Flacco simply has no running game to help him out and it shows. Flacco completed 24-of-41 passes for 250 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He was not able to take charge of this game at any point.

This game had all the makings of a blowout loss for the Bucs, but quarterback Mike Glennon wouldn’t let it happen. He completed 17-of-23 passes for 168 yards with two TDs and he did not throw an interception.

Russell Wilson did not have his game going in the first half as the Seahawks fell behind 21-0. However, he got it together in the second half and the Seahawks were able to rally for the victory. Wilson threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions.

After being held without a touchdown in Week Eight against the lowly Giants, Nick Foles and the Eagles exploded against the Raiders. Foles tied an NFL record with seven touchdown passes as he completed 22-of-28 passes for 408 yards and did not have an interception. One of the finest performances in NFL history.

Terrelle Pryor was completely overmatched as he could not throw one TD pass and he was victimized by two interceptions.

Robert Griffin III was quite competitive and able to take advantage of his opportunities to help the Redskins build a second-half lead. While the Chargers mounted a comeback, RGIII did not lose his poise. He led the Redskins to the game-winning drive in overtime. RGIII threw for 291 yards.

Philip Rivers struggled through much of the game, but he led the Chargers to 10 points late in the fourth quarter that sent the game into overtime. Rivers threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw two costly interceptions.

Jake Locker did not have his best game as he completed 13-of-22 passes for 185 yards and two interceptions, but he ran for a touchdown and kept his team in the game on the road.

Ryan Clemens kept his team in the game much as he did on Monday night against the Seahawks, but he could not come through with big plays when the game was on the line. Clemens completed 20-of-35 passes for 210 yards, but he never looked like he had full command of the St. Louis offense.

The Jets are a resilient team that found a way to bounce back from a humiliating loss at Cincinnati. Geno Smith may not be a polished product, but his ability to put bad games behind him is an asset. Smith completed just 8-of-19 passes, but he ran for a touchdown.

Drew Brees is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but he was not at his best against the Jets. They pressured him into two interceptions and that played a key role in the Saints losing.

Last week the Cowboys had their hearts broken at the end of the game. This time Tony Romo threw the game-winning touchdown pass with 35 seconds left. Romo completed 34-of-51 passes for 331 yards and two TDs.

Christian Ponder deserves credit for keeping his team in the game on the road with his solid passing. Ponder completed 25-of-37 passes for 236 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but it was not enough to get his team the victory.

Don’t look now but the Panthers are the team that is sneaking up on the NFC. Cam Newton kept his cool even though he did not have his best game. He completed 22-of-37 passes for 249 yards and he threw for a touchdown and also ran for one.

Matt Ryan was fairly accurate for large portions of the game as he completed 20-of-27 passes. However, he had a difficult time holding it together when the Panthers put the pressure on and he threw three interceptions, including one that was returned 38 yards for a touchdown by Drayton Florence.

Not a lot of good things to report in this game as neither quarterback helped his team very much. The one positive thing to say about Alex Smith is that none of his 29 passes were intercepted.

The Bills have a soft pass defense, and if Smith couldn’t have a big day against them, when will he break loose? Jeff Tuel played with effort and kept the Bills in the game for most of the second half, but his third-quarter interception that was returned 100 yards for a touchdown turned this winnable game in Kansas City’s favor.

The Dolphins ended their four-game losing streak and Ryan Tannehill did a decent job of avoiding momentum-sapping mistakes. He completed 20-of-28 passes for 208 yards and he did not throw an interception. Tannehill also ran for a touchdown.

It looked like Andy Dalton had turned a corner with his stellar performance against the Jets in Week Eight, but he made several bad throws that cost the Bengals in this game. He threw three interceptions, including one that was returned 94 yards for a touchdown by Miami’s Brent Grimes that nearly buried his team.